Sheet feeding machine



Aug. 23, 1938. F. R. BELLUCHE SHEET FEEDING MACHINE Filedbct. 28. 1957 2Sheets-Sheet l Aug. 23, 1938.

F. R. BELLUCHE 2,127,714

SHEET FEEDING MACHINE Filed Oct. 28, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 feedingmeans.

Patented Aug. 23, 1938 UNITED STATES SHEET FEEDING MACHINE Frank R.Belluche, Racine, Wis.

- Application October 28, 1937, Serial No.

14 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in sheet feeding machines of thecontinuous type in which a fanned-out bank or pile of sheets iscontinuously fed forwardly to a separator mechanism.

Originally, the separators used in this type of feeder employed acombing wheel which combed the topmost sheet forwardly and separated itfrom the pile or bank of shee s. But in answer to the recent requirementor higher operating speeds, the old combing eel separator has beenreplaced by suction separators which pick off the topmost sheet andadvance it to the feed-off mechanism.

With this new suction type separator and the increased operating speeds,much difficulty has been experienced with the bank advancing orHeretofore, the bank has been advanced during a small portion of thecycle of the machine so that at high speeds, the feeding motion has beenso rapid that it would cause the bank to slip, sometimes as much as oneinch.

With the old combing wheel type of separator, slipping of the bank wasnot serious as the combing wheel had time to comb a late sheet ahead,but with the suction type separator, it is important that the sheets donot slip since the suction separator picks up the sheet where it findsit and if it is behind the normal position, it will be out of time whenit arrives at the front guides of the press.

This inventiorv therefore has as one of its objects to improve themanner of feeding the bank forwardly and to completely remove allpossibility of slippage by feeding the bank forward during the wholecycle so that the movement of the bank will be gentle.

Another object of this invention is to provide improved means fordetermining when the bank advancing mechanism is to operate wherein thecontrol is effected by the lifting of a sheet from the bank.

A further object of this invention is to simplify the bank feedingmechanism of a continuous feeder and the control therefor.

With the above and other objects in view which will appear as thedescription proceeds, this invention resides in the novel construction,combination and arrangement of parts substantially as hereinafterdescribed and more particularly defined by the appended claims, it beingunderstood that such changes in the precise embodiment of thehereindisclosed invention may be made as come within the scope of theclaims.

The accompanying drawings illustrate one complete example of thephysical embodiment of (01. 271-38) APR 2 5 1939 the inventionconstructed according to the best mode so far devised for the practicalapplication of the principles thereof, and in which:

Figure l is a side view of a continuous type sheet feeder, illustratingthe application of this invention thereto;

Figure 2 is an enlarged side view of the bank feeding mechanism and thecontrol therefor, illustrating the same in an inoperative position; and

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2, but showing the manner in whichthe lifting of the sheet controls the functioning of the bank advancingmechanism.

Referring now particularly to the accompanying drawings in which likenumerals indicate like parts, the numeral 5 designates the feed board ofa continuous type feeder over which a plurality of endless tapes 6 moveto advance a bank of fanned-out sheets S forwardly. The endless tapes 6upon which the bank of sheets rests are trained about pulleys I and 8,the former being driven in a manner to be hereinafter described.

As is customary, the sheets are loaded onto a supply table 5 disposedabove the feed board and are advanced by tapes In which travel thereoverdownwardly through a reversing throat to be deposited on the feed boardin the manner shown. At the forward end of the feed board is a set offeed-off rollers II and i2, the roller I! being a drop roller to droponto the top of a sheet moved onto the roller II and advance the sameforwardly toward the press or other machine being fed.

The sheets are deposited onto the roller H by a suction separator,indicated generally by the numeral [3. This separator comprises a pairof combing wheels l4 acting on the opposite side edge portions of thesheet at its rear and combing inwardly, suckers I5 to engage the buckledportion of the sheet and lift the same at its rear edge, and forwardingsuckers It to engage the lifted sheet and advance it forwardly. Inasmuchas the separating and forwarding mechanism engages the sheets at theirrear portions, they may be fed off the bank in underlapped relation.

While, as stated, two combing wheels I4 are employed, one to act on eachside of the sheet, and as is customary, two or more sets of suckers l5and iii are employed across the width of the sheet, only one of each hasbeen shown for simplicity of disclosure; and as will be readilyapparent, the entire separator mechanism is adjustable longitudinally ofthe feed board to compensate for sheets of different lengths.

shaft 28 suitably iournalled from the frame of the feeder. Fastened tothe shaft 22 is a ratchet wheel 2| and cooperating with the ratchetwheel are two pawls 22 and 28. The pawl 22 is carried by a lever 24mounted to swing about the shaft 28 at one side of the ratchet wheel,and the pawl 22 is'carried by a lever 25 also mounted to swing about theshaft 28 but at the other side of the ratchet wheel.

These levers are oscillated simultaneously in opposite directions bymeans of a crank plate 25 and links 21 and 28 connecting the crank pinof the plate 28 respectively with the levers 24 and 25. The link 21 isconnected to the lever 24 directly, while the link 28 is connected to anoppositely extending end portion 25' on the lever 25.

The crank plate 28 is mounted in any suitable f manner and is driven bya pinion 22 so as to have a speed of one revolution to two cycles of themachine. In this manner, when the pawls are engaged with the ratchetwheel, a continuous feeding motion is imparted to the roller 1 duringthe whole cycle of the machine.

When the bank is in proper position and forward feeding thereof is notrequired, the pawls 22 and 22 are held out of engagement with theratchet wheel by masks 28. While there are two masks, one for each ofthe pawls, they are directly one behind the other so that only one showsin the drawings.

These masks are pivotally supported on a shaft 2| and have outer curvedsurfaces concentric to the axis of the shaft 20 when held in theirnormal operative positions shown in Figures 1 and 2. When so disposed,rollers 22 carried on.the outer ends of the pawls ride on these outerconcentric surfaces of the masks holding the pawls clear of the ratchetwheel.

A spring 22 yieldingly tends to swing the masks down out of theiroperative positions, as shown in Figure 3, to allow the pawls to engagethe ratchet wheel, but the masks are latched in their operativepositions by a latch 24. The latch 34 comprises a bell crank lever 25carrying a lug or pin 88 at the outer end of one of its arms to engage ashoulder 21 at the lower end of a depending lever 28. A light spring 29pulls the lever 28 toward the lug or pin so that after detachment of thelug or pin from the shoulder, as shown in Figure 3, clockwise movementof the bell crank lever 25 effects reengagement of the lug with saidshoulder.

The other arm of the bell crank lever 35 is ad- Justably connected to aconnecting rod 40 which has one end pivoted to a lever 4i fixed to themasks 20 so that the masks and the bell crank lever 25 move in unison.Hence, it will be seen that the spring 22 constantly tends to swing thebell crank lever 25 in a counterclockwise direction, which tendency isopposed by the engagement of the lug 28 with the shoulder on the lever28 to hold the masks in their operative raised positions.

Whenever forward feeding of the bank is required, the latch is trippedby means of a finger 42 pivoted on a shaft 42 carried by the frame ofthe separator mechanism i2. The lower end of the finger 42 is benttoward the lever 28 to engage the same and move it away from the lug 25.To so move the finger 42 and trip the latch, a feeler 44 pivoted on theshaft 42 which extends across the bank, is located to overlie thetail-end portion of the topmost sheet when the bank is in such positionthat forward advance thereof is required. Hence. upon lifting of the topsheet, the feeler is raised, as shown in Figure 3.

This motion of the feeler is transmitted to the finger 42 through aspring 45 acting upon a lever 45 which is nonrotatably secured to theshaft 42 adjacent to the feeler 44, and a second lever 41 also securedto the shaft 42.

After the latch has been tripped and the required forward advance of thebank has been effected so that the tail-end of the topmost sheet clearsthe feeler 44, the masks are restored to their operative positionsholding the pawls out of engagement with the ratchet wheel by a cam 48.This cam rotates with the pinion 28 and engages a cam follower 49carried by a lever 58 pivotally mounted adjacent to the cam 48. Motionimparted to the lever 50 by the cam is transmitted through a link to abell crank lever 52 pivoted on the shaft 22 and having a foot 53 toengage and lift the masks when they are in their lowered inoperativepositions.

While the masks are lifted once for each cycle of the machine by thismechanism, unless the bank has been advanced a sufficient distance topermit the latch to be engaged, the masks are again dropped to allowcontinued feeding of the bank.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, thatthis invention improves the feeding of the bank in continuous feeders,and that it entirely precludes the objectionable slipping which washeretofore encountered, and that it provides more positive andsimplified mechanism for determining when the bank advancing means is tofunction.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a sheet feeding machine of the continuous type having a feed boardto support a bank of sheets, separating and forwarding mechanismoperable on the topmost sheet, and means for advancing the bank ofsheets over the board: intermittent drive mechanism for said sheetadvancing means to properly position the topmost sheet with respect tothe separating and forwarding mechanism, said sheet advancing meansbeing operable throughout a complete cycle of the machine so that theadvance of the bank of sheets to the separating and forwarding mechanismis substantially continuous.

2. In a sheet feeding machine of the continuous type having a feed boardto support a bank of sheets and means for advancing the sheets over theboard: drive mechanism for said sheet advancing means comprising aratchet wheel; a pair of alternately operable pawls acting on saidratchet wheel; and common means for reciprocating said pawls.

3. In a sheet feeding machine of the continuous type having a feed boardto support a bank of sheets and means for advancing the sheets over theboard: drive mechanism for said sheet advancing means comprising aratchet wheel; a pair of alternately operable pawls acting on saidratchet wheel; common means .for reciprocating said pawls; and means fordriving said 'last named pawl reciprocating means at such speed that onepawl is active throughout one cycle and the other is active throughoutthe next cycle.

4. In a sheet feeding machine of the continuous type having a feed boardto support a bank of sheets and means for advancing the sheets over theboard: a drive for said sheet advancing means comprising, a memberrotating at such speed as to have one revolution to two cycles of themachine; a pair of oppositely moving motion transmitting elements drivenfrom said rotating member so that one operates continuously through onecycle of the machine and the other operates continuously through thenext cycle of the machine; and means for transmitting the motion thusproduced to said sheet advancing means.

5. In a sheet feeding machine of the continuous type having a feed boardto support a bank of sheets and means for advancing the sheets over theboard: a drive for said sheet advancing means comprising a ratchet wheelhaving a driving connection with said sheet advancing means; two pawlsarranged to alternately advance said ratchet wheel; means foralternately reciprocating said pawls in such timed relation to theoperation of the machine that one pawl is active continuously throughone cycle of the machine and the other is active continuously throughthe next cycle of the machine; and means controlled by the removal ofthe topmost sheet from the bank for controlling the connection betweensaid pawls and the ratchet wheel.

6. In a sheet feeding machine: a movable support for a bank of sheets;means for moving the support to advance the bank of sheets; drivemechanism for actuating said sheet support including a separable drivingconnection; a latch for holding said separable driving connectiondisengaged; and means actuated by the lifting of a sheet off said bankfor tripping the latch.

7. In a sheet feeding machine of the character described: a movablesupport for a bank of sheets; means for driving the support to advancethe bank of sheets; control means for determining when said drive meansis to function including a latch; and means to trip said latch includinga feeler disposed over the rear edge portion of the topmost sheet of thebank so that the lifting of said sheet engages the feeler to trip thelatch.

8. In a continuous type sheet feeder having a movable support for a bankof sheets: means to actuate the support and advance the bank; a drivefor said means including a separable driving connection; and meansoperable by the lifting of the tail-end portion of the topmost sheetfrom the bank for controlling said separable driving connection.

9. In a continuous type sheet feeder having a movable support for a bank.of sheets: a drive for said movable support including a separabledriving connection; means tending at all times to render said drivingconnection operative; a latch for holding said driving connectioninoperative; and means for tripping the latch including a feelerdisposed over the top of the bank of sheets and adapted to be actuatedby the lifting of the rear edge portion of the topmost sheet.

10. In a continuous type sheet feeder having a movable support for abank of fanned-out sheets: means for actuating said sheet support toadvance the bank; a control for determining when said means is tooperate comprising a feeler so located with respect to the path of thesheets as to just clear the tail-end portion of the topmost sheet whenthe bank is in proper position and to be lifted by the tail-end portionof the topmost sheet upon separation of said top sheet from the bankwhen the bank requires advancing.

11. In a sheet feeder of the continuous type having a movable supportfor a bank of fannedout sheets: means for advancing said bank; and acontrol for said advancing means operated by the lifting of the tail-endportion of thetopmost sheet from the bank.

12. In a continuous type sheet feeder: a movable support for a bank offanned-out sheets; means for driving said support to advance the bank;and a sheet feeler resting on top of the bank and so located as to becleared by the tailend portion of the topmost sheet when the bank is inproper position and to be moved by thelifting of the tail-end portion ofsaid topmost sheet when the bank requires advancing.

13. In a sheet feeder: a movable support for a bank of sheets; separatormechanism having a regular operating cycle for removing sheets from thebank as the sheet support presents them to the separator mechanism; aplurality of motion generating means driven in such timed relation tothe operation of the separator mechanism that one of said motiongenerating means is active throughout one cycle of the separatoroperation and another is active throughout the next cycle of theseparator operation; and means for translating the motion thus producedinto a continuous drive for said sheet support so as to continuously andslowly advance the bank of sheets toward the separator mechanism.

14. In a sheet feeding nfachine of the character described: a movablesupport for a bank of sheets; separating and forwarding mechanismoperable on the rear edge portion of the sheet;

means for driving the support to advance the bank of sheets intoposition for the separating and forwarding mechanism to act upon thetopmost sheet; control means for determining when said drive means is tofunction including a latch;

and means to trip said latch including a feeler positioned to be engagedby the rear edge portion of a sheet being acted upon by the separatingand forwarding mechanism.

FRANK R. BEILUCHE.

